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Brand Index Methodology

The Morning Consult Brand Index is an indicator of brand strength among consumers. Each Fortune 500 company receives a score based on a ratio of favorable to unfavorable impressions among U.S. adults and its overall favorability. This ensures that a score takes into account how well-liked a company is among people who have an opinion of it without penalizing companies that are not consumer-facing.

Morning Consult polls thousands of adults across the country each week. The surveys are conducted online using large, established online survey vendors. The data is weighted to approximate a nationally representative sample based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, region, annual household income, home ownership status and marital status.

Photo: Courtesy of Salesforce

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Salesforce.com

CRM

A CEO’s outspoken stances on social issues help his company win the talent wars.

CEO Marc Benioff practically invented the modern-day marriage of sincere do-gooderism and shrewd marketing for the corporate good. By instituting a 1-1-1 model early on—Salesforce donates 1% of equity, 1% of product, and 1% of employees’ time to charity—he institutionalized a culture of giving back. But the mindset paved the way for acts that also served the bottom line. Case in point: giving away access to applications to non-profits, a low-cost way to create a pool of potential future customers. Benioff also tapped into the zeitgeist of younger employees who want to work somewhere where they make a difference. Talking up Salesforce’s software and schlepping code are a lot more interesting when balanced with donating time and money to cherished causes.